James Patrick Nelson to Perform Solo Play LATE ONSET at A.R.T/NY
Late Onset is a rowdy, heartfelt saga about becoming diabetic in the middle of a Shakespeare tour.
James Patrick Nelson will perform his solo play LATE ONSET for one night on April 2 at 6:30 p.m. at ART New York, as part of the Re/Venue Festival presented by Re/Venue and the Commonground. The performance will take place during a weeklong showcase of new work running from March 30 through April 5.
The solo piece follows Nelson as he recounts becoming diabetic during a touring Shakespearean production, weaving together personal stories about identity, relationships, and his experience navigating adulthood. Presented without a fourth wall, the work incorporates direct audience engagement and autobiographical storytelling.
"When the industry was recovering from the union strikes a few years ago, I started performing five-minute personal stories at the Moth. My first night, I won the StorySLAM recounting three important moments in my queer evolution... which randomly all had something to do with pancakes! That night was the first step towards making Late Onset. With so much uncertainty in a creative life, it's empowering to remember that life itself is a work of art, that my life on and off stage is something to savor, and that my personal experiences can inspire my work," said Nelson.
"Those pancakes stories felt like a perfect framing device for my story about the Shakespeare tour, because looking back now, I’m confident a lot of my life would have been different if I grew up in a world that told me I was part of a rich legacy of queer people throughout history. It took me way too long to find my place in the community, to realize I'm not alone, and to believe I have a right to show up as myself," he added.
Nelson’s recent credits include three Off-Broadway premieres, the Los Angeles transfer of Slave Play at Center Theatre Group, and the world premiere of Terrence McNally’s final play Immortal Longings. He received a Helen Hayes Award for Bedlam’s Sense and Sensibility at the Folger Theatre and has appeared at Classic Stage Company in productions including The Three Sisters, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Ivanov.
The Re/Venue Festival is curated by Meghan Finn of Re/Venue, with Ben Edelman and Morgan Wolk of the Commonground, and will feature a lineup of new works throughout the week.
The performance will take place at ART New York. Tickets are available via the festival’s ticketing platform.
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